


To Purge a Legacy

by SaraJaye



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Genre: Bittersweet Ending, Deals with devils, Family Issues, Family Secrets, Female Friendship, Finding A Cure, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Post-Game(s), Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-16 06:18:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13048245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: Sonya confides a secret to Celica after the final battle, as well as her plans to avenge her sisters' deaths.





	To Purge a Legacy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sinelanguage](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinelanguage/gifts).



A week after the battle with Duma, waking up to such beautiful mornings still felt like a dream. Not a single terror, witch, or cantor had been seen since the last battle, and the skies were clearer and brighter than they'd ever been on even the most beautiful days Mila had ever given them.

It was still so strange, to know a world without gods could exist and that they were living in it. Celica still found herself looking to Mila for guidance now and then, only to remember that Mila was no more. _This is our kingdom now. Not just mine and Alm's, but everyone's. We'll have our friends standing beside us, helping us shape this new world and rebuilding all that was lost._

She and Alm would be married soon, and he would be crowned King of Valentia. They would have months, possibly years of political decisions ahead of them while others worked the fields, repaired the damage done to the villages throughout the war. But that was still a while off, and for now, everyone deserved to simply _rest._

Celica hummed to herself as she checked in on her comrades. Boey was asleep with his head on Mae's lap, Silque was brushing Faye's hair, Leon was fussing over Valbar _and_ Kamui's wounds, Python didn't look like he'd be waking up within the next twelve hours, and Kliff was practically buried under a pile of books he'd found in the castle library.

"Lady Celica?"

"Oh, Genny, there you are." Celica smiled, turning to see Genny standing beside her. "How's Saber feeling?" Genny blushed, toying with a stray curl of hair.

"His leg's much better, but he should still stay off it for a few days. Jesse's keeping him company right now," she said. "Um, Lady Celica? Does...Sonya seem a bit different lately?" Celica bit her lip.

"So it's not just me, then." Ever since the first battle with Jedah, Sonya hadn't been quite herself. She'd seemed angrier at first, even her smile as she told Celica about her sisters had been a bitter one, her voice tight. Then, the closer they'd come to the top of the tower, she'd grown quiet. Melancholy, almost. And then, during the final battle, she'd fought the two witches standing at Duma's side, but afterwards Celica could swear she was struggling not to cry.

And then, suddenly, Celica flashed back to the first battle against Jedah. Sonya had cut her way through them, stating that she "had a score to settle," and Celica had heard flashes of conversation about Sonya's sisters, how Jedah had stolen their lives...and his responses to her sent chills down Celica's spine. _You are a burden to your wise sisters, and I shall relieve them of it now!_

Everyone had questioned Celica's familiarity with Jedah, forcing her to admit her mistakes, but no one had thought to ask how _Sonya_ knew him, or why she seemed so much angrier after that battle.

"You don't think she's sick, do you?" Genny asked, pulling Celica out of her thoughts. "We were trapped in those dungeons for a while while you were..." She bit her lip. "She didn't _seem_ like she was catching something, and I healed any wounds she had right away," she said. "You don't think she got sick from any dark magic, do you?"

"I don't think that's it," Celica murmured. "Genny, did those two witches we fought before Alm faced Duma seem...familiar?" Genny's eyes widened.

"One of them, she seemed to know Sonya! Oh, Celica, you don't suppose..." She shook her head. "I-I shouldn't go on, Sonya might get upset if she knew we were talking about her behind her back!"

"Not necessarily." Genny yelped and Celica turned around in surprise. Sonya was standing behind them, looking perfectly nonchalant. "It's in a woman's nature to gossip now and then, isn't it?"

"We're sorry!" Genny cried. "Celica and I, we were just talking because we were so worried! You've been so quiet since we got close to the castle, and-"

"It's okay." Sonya put a hand on Genny's shoulder, giving her a little squeeze. "I've just had a lot on my mind, that's all. Sorry I made you worry." Then, she turned to Celica. "Listen, if you have a moment..." She trailed off, then shook her head. "Never mind, it's nothing. I'm going to see if there are any shops in town, I could use a new outfit."

"O-oh! Um, can I go with you? Not for an outfit, but I could use some new journals, and an inkwell," Genny said. Sonya looked like she was about to say yes, only to shake her head again.

"I'll be gone a long time, and it might get boring for you. I tend to take forever in clothing shops." Celica frowned. During her mission, she'd found herself so close to confiding in Mae or Genny or Saber or even Conrad about her talks with Jedah, the deal she'd made him, only to push it further inside of her so they wouldn't worry. Eventually, though, they'd managed to pry it out of her, making her realize just how much more it had hurt to keep it inside.

_And whatever Sonya's keeping inside is hurting her just as much._ Quickly, she reached for Sonya's hand, much to the other's shock.

"Lady Celica, what-"

"Genny, why don't you go check in on Valbar and Kamui? I think Leon could use some rest," Celica said. "Sonya, come with me. There's actually something _I_ need to talk to _you_ about."

"Oh...well, I suppose so. The shops can wait," Sonya said. "We'll go together later, Genny, okay?" Genny nodded, bowing to Celica before rushing off to Valbar's room. Sonya looked a bit dubious, almost annoyed, but followed Celica back to her room nonetheless.

 

"So we're here," Sonya said, almost testily. "What's on your mind, my lady?"

"You," Celica said. "Sonya, are you feeling all right? I feel like you're keeping something from us, and-"

"It's none of your concern," Sonya cut her off. "Please, my lady, you have so much else to think about right now with your upcoming wedding, and your new kingdom." She forced a smirk. "Now, if you needed some advice for your honeymoon, I could definitely accomodate you." Celica felt her cheeks flush, thinking of her and Alm's first night back in the castle.

"You know what I'm talking about. You're so quiet, you've seemed so _angry,_ so _defeated..._ and you've been that way since we first faced Jedah." She took a deep breath. "I heard everything. What he said to you, the truth about your sisters." Sonya paled, her hand clenching into a fist.

"I didn't figure you for an eavesdropper, Lady Celica."

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop," Celica said. "And I honestly wish I hadn't. To lose family like that...it's a pain nobody should have to suffer." Even if Conrad was alive after all, the years she spent thinking him dead had weighed so heavily upon her. "That's why you went after Jedah before anyone else had a chance."

"I knew that if we only had one chance to strike him, it had to be mine," Sonya said quietly. "Looking back, I must have seemed pretty selfish, something of a glory-seeker."

"It had nothing to do with glory," Celica said. "He stole your sisters, your only remaining family. My guess is he did something to your father as well, if your father never came back for you." Sonya went rigid at that, squeezing her eyes shut, and Celica immediately wished she could take that back. "I'm sorry! I didn't-"

"Don't apologize." Sonya's voice was tight. "You don't know...listen, I had more than my sisters as a reason. No, they _were_ the reason, but..." She wrapped her arms around herself, turning away, her shoulders shaking.

"Sonya..." Celica reached out to take her hand, but Sonya jerked it away. "Sonya, it's okay. You can tell me, you _want_ to tell me. It won't leave this room." Sonya's breath hitched, she swallowed, and her next words were so quiet Celica was sure she'd only imagined she'd heard them.

"Jedah... _was_ my father."

Shock was the first thing she registered, then horror. Then, drowning both out, a pang of empathy so strong it brought tears to Celica's eyes. At a loss for words, she reached for Sonya's hand again, and this time Sonya squeezed back so tightly her fingers ached.

"I know this probably doesn't mean much, but...I know how you feel," she said quietly. "My father was a terrible person, too." Jedah was decidedly _worse,_ offering his own children's souls as sacrifices to Duma, but they bore the same cross. "I couldn't even _think_ of him as my father."

"Just like I wouldn't dare call Jedah that in a million years," Sonya muttered. "I wish I could say I'd changed my name like you did, but...Sonya I was born, Sonya I still remain. My name was the only good thing he ever gave me."

"My mother named me," Celica said. "But for years, I tried to pretend Anthiese wasn't real, that I'd always been Celica. Even now, I'll only let Conrad call me Anthiese." Sonya gave a weak chuckle.

"I've heard the stories of King Lima," she said. "I can see why you'd be ashamed to call him your father, but you're nothing like him."

"And you're nothing like Jedah," Celica said. Still, she didn't blame Sonya for keeping quiet about this, even to Genny. She felt Sonya relax against her a little, her breaths slow and deep, a barely-audible sniffle escaping her now and then.

"It's okay if you want to cry," she said.

"I know, but...they'd never forgive me if I did. When we were little, I'd cry every night for him to come back." Sonya raised her free hand to rub at her eyes. "Marla would hold me on her lap and Hestia would tell me to smile because he wouldn't want to see us sad when he came for us..." She laughed bitterly. "You know, I think deep down, they both knew he was never coming back. I think Marla even knew his true self more than Hestia or I did, but they always kept quiet..."

"To protect you," Celica murmured. "As only an older sibling can."

"He claimed they gave themselves away freely, and Hestia's last words to me were how she should have lived her life freely, like I did." Sonya's voice broke. "They _knew_...and they still..."

"Sonya..."

"I'll be fine." She pulled away, squaring her shoulders. "My lady, there's something else I need to tell you."

"Oh?" Celica moved around to face her. "What is it?"

"I don't plan to stay," Sonya said. "I already know how I plan to avenge my sisters and ensure their deaths weren't in vain, and...I'm leaving at the week's end."

"Oh..." Celica bit her lip. Sonya wasn't the only one who planned to strike out on her own, but somehow it felt a little sadder knowing she'd be saying goodbye to her. Sonya had taken on the role of big sister to everyone, and her personality had been up there with Mae's and Est's in keeping everyone from sinking too far into despair. "What's your plan?" she asked.

"I'm going to find a cure for all the witches who still remain. Duma may be gone, but I know for a fact that hasn't returned the souls of those girls," Sonya said. "And I've heard of other continents, other realms where dark beings like him still take the souls of anyone who will offer theirs just for a little bit of power..." Her eyes narrowed. "And _I_ will be the person to put an end to them!" The sudden vehemence in her tone and the words themselves sent an icy shiver down Celica's spine.

"Sonya, you can't _mean..._ " She shook her head. "That's too dangerous! Can't you find a cure using your magical talents, or working with healers? I'm sure Sage Halcyon would be glad to help you."

"That's not enough," Sonya said. "Curing the ones afflicted is just the first step. How many families have suffered the way I did, losing the ones they loved to those _creatures?_ My sisters were only two of countless victims, their stories and their names lost to the ages...just like all the innocents who died under your father's rule." She reached for Celica's hand, squeezing it tightly. "Just like you must purge the One Kingdom of King Lima's former influence, I must purge the world of creatures like Jedah."

Part of Celica understood, especially knowing that she herself had almost been one of those victims. Only she and Delthea had ever lived to tell the tale if they chose to do so, she could hardly blame Sonya for wanting to put an end to the whole idea of witches and soul-selling.

But the thought of someone she considered a sister and a friend chasing down those monsters, fighting them on her own knowing how dangerous they were, terrified her. She thought back to Conrad's harsh reaction when she'd been about to give herself over to Dolth. _I didn't save my little sister's life so she could throw it away!_

"Your sisters wouldn't have wanted you to put your live in peril like this," she said. "If you didn't survive an encounter with such a creature...whether you lost your soul or just plain died, you'd have wasted the life they'd saved." Sonya bristled, her fingers tightening around Celica's.

"That's a low blow."

"It's the _truth._ And think of Genny, you're so special to her," Celica continued. "Sonya, you shouldn't have had to lose your family like that. I wish there could have been a way to save your sisters. But you've been with us for so long, I..." She sighed. "I can't help but think of _all_ of us as a family. Even if some of us are closer than others, we've been through so much together. _We_ would be devastated if you died or lost your soul."

Silence followed. Sonya's hand still gripped hers, Celica's fingers starting to ache. _Am I a hypocrite for telling her not to do this? I'm the one who didn't listen when Saber and Mae and the others begged me not to risk my own life for Mila's sake...no, it's **because** I didn't listen that I have to convince her not to do this. I offered my soul for Mila's sake, and I wound up tricked. If Sonya offers herself to protect others, she'll be tricked, too. I don't want her to suffer the same fate I almost did._

But deep down, she knew it was Sonya's decision to make, and nobody else's.

"Just think about what I said, okay?" Sonya closed her eyes for a moment, sighed deeply, loosening her grip.

"I will. That's all I can promise, though, that I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask."

"Hey." Sonya smiled, suddenly pulling her into a hug. "You'll make a great queen, Lady Celica. Even if I'm not here to see your rule, I just know you'll do great things for the One Kingdom." Celica managed a small smile, hugging Sonya back.

"Thank you. I'll do the best I can, anyway."

Four days later, Sonya came to her with her bag packed, to say goodbye. All Celica could do was plead with her to be careful, and to come back if she found her task was more than she could handle.

"We'll see," Sonya said. She bowed, gave Celica's hand a squeeze, and left.

Mila was gone, so there was no sense in praying. Instead, Celica hoped. Hoped that Sonya would be successful in her mission, that she would be safe, that she would return to them eventually.


End file.
